Spain

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In Which I Actually Manage to Have Lunch Out

It’s a really beautiful day and I don’t have a ton of work, so I decided to walk to La Cañada to pick up coffee rather than getting some at the little shop here. I can’t believe how fast I’m going through coffee here, but since it’s cool, I’m having two cups every day, which explains it. Thankfully, good coffee is not expensive in Europe! Lunch at the Chinese restaurant was also hoped for, but not expected.

I set off just past 12:30 and got into La Cañada just shy of 1:00. I was struck by how many shops were having Black Friday deals! Talk about a very American concept that has spread.

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I decided to pop into the produce place to get a couple of potatoes to make leek and potato soup this weekend (bacon may also be involved).

The Chinese place was open! I was seated promptly with a huge menu and brought a bowl of edible polystyrene chips that smelled vaguely fishy and were addictive.

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The server asked if I knew what I wanted to drink and I requested a beer. He brought me a bottle. I’ve heard people say San Miguel is crap, but I really liked it!

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I found a menú del día at the very back of the menu, three courses, dessert, and a drink, including beer, for 7.65 euros! I figured that my big beer would have a surcharge, but that was fine. I’ve really slacked on the beer since I got here and was due for a nice big cold one!

For my first course, I asked for a spring roll. This is their idea of a spring roll:

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It was about twice the size of an average egg roll! They had sweet and sour sauce to go with it. The inside had what I consider to be egg roll filling, carrots, cabbage, and onion. Very good!

For my second course, I asked for fried noodles with pork:

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This was yummy, but like in Mexico and the Balkans, they used linguini instead of Asian noodles, which really isn’t the same.

My third course was pineapple chicken:

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It wasn’t particularly special, but at least the chicken wasn’t fried. It was very sweet, so I asked for soy sauce:

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The very good soy sauce (so thick!) helped immensely.

I wasn’t able to eat everything, of course, but when I was told dessert was ice cream, including chocolate, I couldn’t resist/found room. The scoop was tiny/perfect sized.

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The restaurant had WiFi, so I caught up on emails between courses since I was in no big rush. The server was very patient in making sure I understood the password and inputted it correctly. I asked for the “internet” password and he replied that the “Wee-Fee” (Wi-Fi) password was such and such. So that was my Spanish education for the day. In Mexico, I’m sure they would understand Wee-Fee, but I always asked for the “inalámbrico” (wireless) password. I haven’t seen that word used in Spain so far.

When the bill came, it was for 7.65 euros — no surcharge for the big beer. Wow!

This wasn’t an amazing meal, but it really hit the spot and was very good value. I am pleased. And stuffed. 😀

It looks like I may not have any work this weekend (!!!), so I’ll probably head into Almería tomorrow to explore the waterfront. This guarantees that work is going to come in. 😀

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In Which I Make It to Almería’s Mercado Central

I thought I’d be out of work today, but, nope, more came in! I still decided to take today off and power through on Thursday so I could go to town today during what I’ve ascertained to be the optimal hours: 10 to 2. I was overdue for a day off and a change of scenery and was out of some groceries that I can’t find at the shop here or at Mercadona in La Cañada. I also needed cash and a top up for my phone and hoped that the Mercado Central would be open.

I managed to be out the door before 10 and got to the bus stop just as a bus was pulling up! I got off at the start of Paseo de Almería, a main thoroughfare, so I could go to the Deutsche Bank. Again, that’s the bank in Spain where I can withdraw money with my Scotiabank card without paying any fees.

There was a Vodafone store almost right next door and I popped in to ask about a phone top up. They were slammed and the attendant told me she couldn’t help  me and to go to a bank! I decided to try somewhere else. No, I cannot top up online because you need a Spanish credit card. I believe that’s for the same reason most countries require prepaid SIMs to be registered against a passport: to fight terrorism by making it more difficult to get “burner” phones.

I then tried a phone reseller that doesn’t just do Vodaphone and she told me that I had to top up with the same amount as I’d originally paid, 20 euros! That was not going to happen since it’s not like I’m out and about that much. If I do stay in Spain through the New Year, then I’ll revisit that question. And as it turns out, you can buy phone top ups at most ATMs. Huh.

The Mercado Central was open!

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The top floor had produce, meats, cheeses, olives, assorted groceries, baking, and a little café.

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It was much “neater” and orderly than the Mexican markets I’ve been to. I was able to look at things without any pressure.

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The café can cook up your purchases!

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I’d hoped to get a second breakfast in town and the café wasn’t intimidating. I ordered a café cortado and toast with tomato.

My coffee came in a glass and was perfect.

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I read the provincial paper as I waited for my food. Like anyone in their right mind, Spaniards are bothered by Trump’s dressing down of the media and what it means for freedom of speech and a free press in the U.S.

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My toast came. The first one of these I had had chunks of tomato, but this was just pulp. Still very tasty, especially with olive oil, a bit of salt, and lots of black pepper! The bread was very nice, kind of like a ciabatta. This is such a good breakfast and I’m so grateful my host introduced me to it.

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One thing I like about eating out in Spain is that you are not rushed out the door. I wasn’t done with the paper when I’d finished eating and there was no pressure for me to leave. I just sat and kept reading till I was done. There was a fascinating article about a man who survived 438 days lost at sea near the Marshall Islands.

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I then went shopping for some produce. No one had grapefruit (!), which, by the way, is “pomelo” here, not “toronja,” but a few people had dragonfruit (pitahaya).

The vendor who had the freshest looking ones had a lot of other nice produce, so I started with him. I asked for a half kilo of cherry tomatoes (had no idea how much that would be, to be honest, but it ended up being the perfect amount!) and he let me sample them. Yum! I wanted a leek, but didn’t know the name, so “the green and white thing to the left of the celery” did the trick. Puerro! He offered to cut off the green part, but I love it, so I declined. I got a few other things, including carrots and onions.

I then wanted some grapes and found a vendor who had some really nice ones. I was again allowed to sample them first.

Then, I headed downstairs to check out the very impressive fish market. I apologise for the terrible pictures!

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There’s a small grocery store on the fish level.

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I’d left home with my little grocery cart, so I didn’t have to carry my shopping. Isn’t my host thoughtful to have provided it? The cart itself is very light and easy to manoeuvre.

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I went back upstairs and ogled the olives for a bit.

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There were some lovely cut flowers.

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I wandered a bit around the exterior of the mercado and found these grocery carts for sale. I like that pink and white striped one!

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Next stop was going to be Lidl. En route, I found some nice artwork at the entrances to two parking garages.

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I found myself on the pedestrian street with the “Washington monument.” I looked for a plaque that would explain it, but there was none.

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Almería is very pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Just follow the red brick path!

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The Lidl here was rather disappointing compared to the one I went to in Sofia. It was mostly a luxury premade goods at a bargain price store and I didn’t find some of the staples I was looking for, like unsweetened almond milk. But I did find some nice cheddar and a vacuum packed roast chicken like I got once in Bulgaria that was very good, so the detour was not for, well, naught.

Like in the Balkans, grocery stores here have a parking space for your cart. You need to give 1 euro deposit, which you get back. When you pay for your groceries, you can put everything back in your big cart or basket, bring it here, and then pack your cart, saving you from having to fiddle with bags. When I shopped in Sofia, I would put everything back into my basket, go to a counter like this, set my backpack on it, and then load up the bag. This keeps the checkout lines moving quickly.

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Since I still didn’t have much in the way of groceries, I decided to go to the “Carrefour Market” on Almería that I’d passed on the way to the Mercado. I took a different route there to see more of downtown.

I liked the contrast of that very neat apartment building and the mess across the street.

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Found the lovely San Sebastián church.

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There was a neat tree out front.

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This contrast of architectural styles reminded me of Sofia.

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Love this pink building!

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The Carrefour Market was tiny and had almost nothing, which surprised me. I thought I must be missing something since there wasn’t even regular milk. So I asked and was told there were two other floors! Oops! The basement had junk food and drinks, the main floor had the deli, some dairy, produce, and premade foods. Upstairs was what you would normally find in the centre of a grocery store.

They had piles of almond milk, but none without sugar. Since I found sugar-free cereal, I decided to go with a container of sweetened milk and was pleased that they had a the same brand I could sometimes get in Yablanista as it really tastes like almonds. I’ve had bad luck with some brands being very chalky. The big Carrefour had the sugar-free in the brand that I like and can get in Canada, the US, and Mexico (Almond Breeze) and I’m kicking myself for having bought only the two containers.

One thing I was super happy to find was another jar of Tikka Masala sauce! I also scored some whole wheat pasta (surprisingly hard to find), and a pizza with barbecue rather than tomato sauce (surprisingly popular in Spain) for just 1.50 euros.

It was about 1:30 by this point and I was hungry again. I went to the bakery area to get something to munch on while waiting for the bus and selected an empanada with curried chicken. The clerk offered to heat it up for me and said that if I paid for it right there, I could eat it right away at their lunch counter rather than wait. Awesome! It was a little light on the chicken, which didn’t surprise me, but the curry sauce was really yummy and a flavour I haven’t had in a very long time.

I then paid for my groceries and loaded my cart. It was full! But I do have to note that I’d bought a pack of toilet paper at Lidl (on mega sale), and that took up quite a bit of space!

When I’d left home this morning, it had been very damp and cold after a solid 24 hours of rain. By the time I came out of the supermarket, it was warm and sunny — ice cream weather! So I stopped at the heladería I’d discovered my first time in Almería and asked for a small scoop of “cheesecake.” The server was very generous! Calories don’t count in such circumstances! I found a bench and took my time savouring my treat.

The bus stop was just a couple of blocks later and I came up just as my bus was pulling up. Talk about good timing today! Since I had my cart, I had to stand all the way home, but I was able to lean against a wall, so that was fine.

The cat was sitting on the roof of my host’s car as I came around the corner. When she saw me, she let out a very indignant meow since I was an hour late giving her her 1PM treat! So I did that before unpacking my groceries. She’s curled up against me now, so I think I’m forgiven!

Here’s my gorgeous dragonfruit:

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What a lovely day it’s been! I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but it’s done me a world of good. Almería was a whole other world between 10 and 2!

Before I close out this post, I want to make something very clear. Frustrated as I am by the Spanish schedule, I have to emphasise that I really like Almería!!! It is a beautiful city with a very walkable downtown core, lots of green spaces, a super friendly population, good public transportation, and an affordable cost of living. If I do manage to eventually move to Spain (easiest country for me to get residency and eventually an EU passport), even without having seen much more of this country, I could very well imagine myself in Almería. It ticks a lot, if not all, of my boxes. I still can’t believe I was fortunate enough to get this sit!

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Winds of Prairie Proportions

I cannot believe the winds I’m getting here in Almería! Of course, I’m right on the water, but it’s easy to forget that some days. It’s hard to sleep on windy nights since things rattle in the back garden and it’s quite noisy. Because of that, I was awake around five this morning. I went to use the bathroom and went back to bed, making sure that the bedroom door was firmly latched.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up about four hours later and the cat was curled up with me! My Tabitha knew how to open that style of door so I’m not surprised this cat does as well. I let her sleep with me every few nights and I think she’s decided that that’s not enough for her! I’m really in love with her, so I don’t mind. She’s so incredibly sweet and well behaved.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve only got three weeks left here! I really thought I’d get more exploring done, but the Spanish schedule and mine are really not compatible for that, never mind my incessant workload.

For example, I was able to quit at three today. Anywhere else that I’ve ever been, I would have taken off for downtown to do a little shopping and exploring before having dinner,. Here? Nothing’s open at that hour until around six and, of course, you can’t get a meal until at least eight or nine. I like ambling through cities, as you all know, but this part of Spain is basically dead in the afternoon. There’s just no ambiance and it’s not appealing. Of course, I could do siesta and go out about now, nine, to get some of the night life, but then you can’t see anything because the sun has long set. I need to be in town between about 10AM and 2PM to make a trip worthwhile and that’s just not compatible with my work schedule at present. I’m not unhappy being “home” since I have so much work to do and plenty around here to keep me busy, but I do hope I get to see a weeeeee bit more of Spain before I leave!

One thing that has astounded me since I got to Spain is how much bigger the country feels than I expected it to. I think a part of that has to do with how costly it is to get around Spain when compared to traveling around the Balkan countries. Like in Canada, it’s cheaper to go to another country than to travel within Spain! I’ve seen sits in the northwest part of the country that would be interesting, but which would cost me almost as much to get to as to fly back to Canada — insane!

Last night, I went to to La Mayor for a tapa and beer as a late supper and was rewarded with a particularly generous portion since I got a whole sausage and extra fries! I was stunned! I was there for quite a while, enjoying the luxury of being able to read the local paper, something I really missed in the Balkans. I read a couple of particularly interesting articles, including an opinion piece on Catalonian independence.

In other news, it looks like my England sit for the start of January is a go! I will be flying from somewhere to Manchester around the 6th of 7th and from there going to the vicinity of the town of Hebden Bridge, in West Yorkshire, to meet my host on the 8th and start on the 9th for a month. That area is the setting of a UK show I like (Happy Valley), so it’s somewhat familiar to me. I’m not looking forward to a cold damp month, but as I’ve said before, England is the next logical step for me and this area is particularly appealing to me. My host is going to sign me up for Spanish conversation lessons once a week while I’m there! Only £5 (about 8CAD) each, so that gives me something to look forward to. That and another cat!

So I’m now trying to fill the gap between December 18th and about January 5th. I’ve applied for another sit down the coast from here from December 22nd to January 2nd. If that works out, then I can go to Málaga for a day or two before I start. I’d also like to go to Madrid for at least a couple of days and so if that sit’s a go, I could take a bus to Madrid and then fly from there to Manchester. Time will tell!

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There’s a Time to Tourist and a Time to Type

I was going to head into Almería today, but found work waiting this morning if I wanted it. I took enough to get me through the weekend. Saturday isn’t great to go exploring here anyway (lots of things are closed or close early, plus the bus schedule is erratic). Might as well keep working on replenishing the coffers! They are back to levels that let me sleep well at night (that was said tongue firmly in cheek!) and now they’re building back up beyond that. My big client is in the process of paying me a non-insignificant retainer to secure a few hours of my time a week for the next couple of months, which feels like a major career milestone, so it’s good to know I have work incoming for a bit!

Late morning, I realised that I was almost out of drinking water (!!!) and relieved that the shop is open till 2:00 on Saturdays. I headed out around noon. The shopkeeper greeted me warmly and told me I looked really nice today, which surprised me since I was in what I felt was lounging clothes (my trousers from Bulgaria with my Tieks and my pink hoodie, but I do have to say I had a really nice head scarf!). Anyway, that was really sweet of her!

I got what I needed at the deli/produce/bakery counter, or so I thought. I realised after getting a few other things that I’d missed something. So I went back and said, “I’m sorry, I forgot bread, please.” I’m still working on the past tense and when I use it, I go home and double check that I was correct, which I was this time. Phew! The bread is a baguette and after handing it to me, the clerk slyly told me that their crème de Brie was on sale (oferta). So I got a tub of that! I love Brie, but not the rind, so finding it in that format was fantastic. By the way, have you ever thought of how amazing milk is in the infinite number of ways it can be transformed into yummy things?

I came in and worked through the afternoon. My jobs were super easy and went fast. I love days like that! The cat spent most of the time snuggled against me, as she does whenever I plop myself down somewhere. I’d been told she was aloof so I’m starting to wonder if she’s the cat I’m actually supposed to be minding! 🙂

I quit around 5:00 and went for a long walk. I’m definitely starting to orientate myself in this maze of a neighbourhood. Then, I came in and had my first beer at home since I got here!

Tomorrow will be a similar day, but I’ll probably go out for a beer if the bar is open. 🙂

So, no, I’m not bummed about not “being able” to go to town today. I’ve been working on a 2016 travel recap that will really show how much fun I’ve had this year, more than I could have dreamt of working a traditional 9 to 5 job with three weeks of vacation, and I’m just happy to be so well situated that I can be productive with work, but also not feel claustrophobic. This sit is everything I hoped it would be!

In other news, it’s looking more and more certain that I’ll be in Yorkshire by about January 7th! I’ll be flying into Manchester. So now, I’m working on how I’ll fill the days between December 17th and my arrival in England. I could easily go to England straight away and get a sit over the holidays, but that’s a last resort option. I’m still hoping another sit nearby opens up…

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A Chess Game

I don’t play chess, but I have some vague notions of how masters play, that they are always several moves ahead in their minds, anticipating a number of scenarios. That’s rather how my life is. I’m always thinking far ahead, planning for what ifs, allowing for contingencies, and always doing my best to have an end game.

There are some bloggers who like to lay out their whole game plan ahead of times, with all its possible twists, for their readers to pick apart and dissect and give advice on. That’s just not me.

So that’s my mindset in answering here a couple of comments I got last night. I’m doing so in a post because I can imagine that other people are thinking things along the same line.

But before I start, let me digress for a moment and comment on an astute observation:

“I wonder if life is easier in Spain in the areas that have more tourists.”

Exactly. One of the reasons that Almería so appealed to me is that it is not on the tourist track and could show me the real Spain. One month here has taught me more about what this country is really like than any number of visits friends and family have made. This is why I want to travel, to see how people live in other places, not to play tourist.

Now, back to the chess game:

“No matter what happens you always have the option to fly back to Canada”

That has never been an option at this time of year! When I left, it was knowing I would be on this side of the pond till the spring and I had a loose plan to get me there, depending on what opportunities presented themselves.

First of all, I don’t have a home to go back to in the winter season. Power’s off completely, there’s no water, I don’t have any windbreaks set up, and I have no internet etc. Moreover, the cost of going back to North America is not cheap and once I get there, travel within the continent is even more expensive. The plan was always to maximise my initial ticket to get to this side of the pond and only return to North America when I absolutely have to.

Which brings me to another comment:

“However, this is not the time to fly back to Canada; it is like trading one cold country for another cold country, i.e., the UK. ”

I was always going to end up in the UK in early 2017. I’ll be a few months earlier than I planned, but it was always going to be my end point. One reason is that it’s the cheapest country to fly back from. A second reason is that it is where there are the most housesitting gigs. But the most important reason is that I can stay six months. This gives me a lot of options I didn’t have in the Balkans and in the Schengen area in that I can bounce around at my leisure and take longer sits if I want to. The climate won’t be great, but spring will come much earlier than it would in most parts of Canada.

“But, if you could find cheap transportation to and lodgings in Mexico for your remaining time”

And here is where we get back to my initial point about not giving my readers all the information. I will just say that Mexico is not an option right now for reasons that will become clear in the next couple of months…

So all that to say, I’m right where I need to be, albeit a few months earlier than planned. But that might end up working well if what I think is going to happen in March does happen. And even more so if what happens in May comes to fruition.

All this boils down to three scenarios for my return to North America. The only one I’m ready to discuss right now is my plan A that I left with last year — at some point in June, I’ll fly back from the UK to Regina with funds I’ve been keeping aside for that and spend the summer at Haven, riding the high of an amazing adventure!

Or maybe not… *evil cackle*